SMOKERS BURNING MAD OVER BAN

Patricia Phillips waited for a plane in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, took a deep drag on her cigarette and offered her feelings on the new federal no- smoking rules.

"Adolf Hitler started out saying you couldn't do this, you couldn't do that," she said.

She said the new law, which bans smoking on all domestic flights scheduled for less than two hours, was unwarranted government intrusion. The law, affecting up to 85 percent of all domestic flights, took effect on Saturday at 12:01 a.m.

The regulation carries a fine of up to $1,000 for smoking and $2,000 for tampering with aircraft lavatory smoke alarms.

Phillips was part of a group of four waiting to fly home to San Diego. Sitting next to Phillips was her husband, Norman, who does not smoke and does not care what the rules are. On the other side of her sat her good friends, Bill and Debbie Hall, both of whom work for U.S. Air and support the smoking ban.

"Any smoke filters through the air conditioner, and we get it up front," said Bill Hall, a pilot with 22 years of experience.

He does not smoke, but he acknowledged that the new rules allow smoking in the cockpit.

"I sure wouldn't want anybody to know that in the back, though," he said.

Next to her, Patricia Phillips exhaled smoke and offered the smokers' viewpoint.

"We're going to unionize and rise up and overthrow the government," she said.

The group also illustrated how confusing the new rules can be for passengers. They were flying to San Diego by way of Dallas-Fort Worth. Their schedule showed the flight arriving in Texas less than two hours after it left Fort Lauderdale. Therefore, no smoking, right? Wrong.

Because there was a time change, and the flight would spend more than two hours in the air. Patricia Phillips could smoke.

Other passengers interviewed in the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday were divided in their opinions, as well.

Pro: The new rules are "very good, because, you know, clean air, healthy," said Vahak Dovletian of Dumont, N.J., who was puffing on a huge cigar as he spoke. "I only smoke once a year."

And con: "The people who've smoked for years and years have to suffer because other people don't want the smoke. I don't think it's fair," said Helen Yohe of Allentown, Pa.

The new regulation also met with mixed reaction at Miami and Palm Beach international airports on Saturday.

Smokers frantically took one last puff before boarding flights.

"You can't tell a person what to do." said Robert Gambling of Vero Beach. "What safety hazard do we have here? None. I mean, they've already segregated us into one part of the plane. The next thing you know you're going to get a ticket for smoking in your car. Where does it stop?"